Drake’s new album will be called Views From The 6. That news comes not only in advance of the rapper’s ESPY-hosting gig on ESPN tomorrow, July 16, but also in advance of Drake doing any actual work on the record, seeing as how he hasn’t even begun recording it.
According to Billboard, fans aren’t sure what “The 6” refers to, though “a recent online hoax would suggest it’s a reference to his hometown.” That hoax took place earlier this spring, when a number of faux-photos of billboards started popping up on hip-hop blogs. These billboards didn’t exist, but they were allegedly situated in Toronto and covered with the number six or with slogans like “T6r6nt6—416 The Six 647,” a reference to the city’s two biggest area codes. The billboards’ existence was ultimately disproven by a Drake fan blog, but savvy fans are speculating it could have been an advance publicity stunt relating to the similarly non-existent LP. Or, like Jennifer Lopez’ On The 6, maybe it’s a reference to New York’s 6 train, which would make just as much sense.